A steady mix of the running and passing game led the Forestview Jaguars to a 48-28 win over the Nation Ford Falcons to open the 2014 season.

For the last time in their eight-year series, Forestview and Nation Ford kicked off the high school football season for both schools.

The Jaguars returned heavily recruited junior running back Moe Neal, who is getting several Division I schools interested in him including Mississippi State, Boston College, Georgia Tech and Duke just to name a few.

Forestview struggled with penalties throughout the game, but Neal and senior quarterback John Crawford led the Jaguars attack. Neal had a key 31-yard run to put Forestview into the red zone to open the fourth quarter before Crawford would run in from 6 yards out giving the Jaguars a 35-21 lead with 10 minutes left in the game.

Nation Ford didn’t go quietly as junior quarterback Cole Martin and junior Hank Tuipulotu connected for their third touchdown of the game with about seven minutes left. Martin went 27-48 for 300 yards and four touchdowns in his first varsity start. Tuipulotu was his main target catching 16 passes for 141 yards and three touchdowns.

Forestview got a great start to open the second half as Nation Ford got a 15-yard penalty called against them putting the ball at the Falcons’ 20-yard line. However, Nation Ford held strong and got the ball back without allowing any additional points on the board.

On the first series for Nation Ford, Martin hit junior Josh Shade for a big gain of 62 yards through the air, which put them on the 29-yard line. Martin then hit Tuipulotu on the next play to close the gap for the Falcons and make it 28-21 in favor of the Jaguars.

Forestview started a drive in the first quarter that moved into the second quarter after a holding penalty by the Jaguars called back a Neal touchdown. Despite the penalty, Forestview started the second quarter at the Falcons’ 25-yard line.

Once inside the 25-yard line, the Jaguars struggled to move the ball. Nation Ford took a time out and tried to stop Forestview, who faced a fourth and one, but Crawford hit Neal in the end zone for their second touchdown combo of the game to give the Jaguars a 14-7 lead.

Nation Ford struggled to move the ball early in the second quarter and was forced to punt on its first series in the quarter.

Forestview kept the ball on the ground with about eight minutes left in the half as Crawford did the majority of work keeping the ball for several plays. That allowed the Jaguars to eat the clock up, while moving the ball.

Once the Jaguars crossed midfield, Neal started to get the ball and had a big run of 31 yards to the one-yard line, where senior Montavis Rogers would score on the next play putting Forestview up two touchdowns near the half.

Nation Ford came right back to stay in the game as Martin hit junior Jordan Helms on two big passes, the first for 19 yards, which was aided with a late hit after the play, and then again for a 23-yard touchdown.

Forestview still wanted that two touchdown gap and got it scoring on a 29-yard touchdown pass from Crawford to senior Caleb Mills with five seconds left in the half to again extend their lead on just three plays.

Nation Ford’s first series of the game was a bust as they gain no yards and were forced to punt. Forestview started off moving the ball well. Neal got the majority of work as he moved the ball out of the backfield and caught an 18-yard pass to move them past midfield.

The Jaguars had a major holding penalty that moved them out of the red zone forcing Forestview to try and go to the air. Forestview worked their way back into the red zone with the help of a Nation Ford penalty.

Crawford and Neal got on the board with a screen pass that allowed Forestview to score eating about five minutes off the clock.

Nation Ford had a better series the second time down the field as Martin moved them with his arm and feet.

Martin hit Tuipulotu to move Nation Ford into the red zone on an 18-yard gain and then again to move them to the five-yard line where the two would connect again for a 1-yard touchdown three plays later.